Chapter 555
Chapter Title: The Despair of Lumerne
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555.
Jer-on.
A family known as one of Lumerne's three great houses, alongside Ligarde and Turcia.
Three thousand years ago, during the second coming of the Calamity, their founders were three heroes who subjugated countless demons alongside Lumerne, the Knight of Twilight.
Jer-on, the Sage of Twilight, was Lumerne's advisor.
Ligarde, the Sword of Twilight, always stood at the forefront, slaughtering enemies, while Turcia, the Shield of Twilight, was the shield that protected Lumerne.
Afterward, once Lumerne constructed Lumeria City and established Lumerne Academy.
His confidants—Jer-on, Ligarde, and Turcia—each took on their own duties.
Jer-on became the chairman of Lumerne Academy.
Ligarde, the mayor of Lumeria City.
And Turcia became the commander of the knight order Lumerne had led.
The three families carried on Lumerne's will, and all three are based in Lumeria City.
And to the east of Lumeria City.
Not far from there was the main residence of the Jer-on family.
*Creeak—!*
The door of the griffin-drawn carriage opened.
The members of the household, who had been waiting for the next head of the Jer-on family, paused when they saw the white-haired boy stepping out of the carriage.
A moment later.
The Jer-on household members easily figured out his identity.
‘White hair and red eyes?’
‘Is that Leo Flove?’
As many eyes focused on Leo.
Leo extended a hand toward the carriage.
And a white hand from inside the carriage took his.
Elena, who took Leo's hand and lightly stepped down to the ground, smiled brightly.
"Such a proper escort."
"There's someone who relentlessly emphasizes etiquette."
"Your parents?"
"No, Celia."
Although he was the heir to the Flove family, he was also recognized as a direct descendant of the Jerdinger family, his mother's side.
Being a direct descendant in the Jerdinger family wasn't just a title.
With its long history, the Jerdinger family possessed vast territories and a large number of people.
Leo had already been assigned five knight candidates.
Those knights, whom he had named Slayers, were all first-years at Lumerne.
In addition, he would soon receive his own territory.
‘Got it? A direct descendant is a proper member of the family! A member! I know you have a free-spirited personality, but you have to be mindful of how people see you! Understand?’
Leo chuckled, recalling Celia's nagging.
"Come to think of it, Lis is your cousin, right?"
Elena walked toward the household members, gently twirling a strand of her hair.
"We have an esteemed guest visiting the family today. He is also a benefactor to the Jer-on family, so there must not be the slightest flaw in how you treat him."
"Yes, my lady!"
"Lord Flove, I will guide you to your room."
"Do you have any luggage?"
"I'll take care of guiding Leo, so everyone else, please prepare the meal. Let's go, Leo."
Elena took the lead and walked into the mansion.
Leo followed her.
The Jer-on family's mansion was massive.
It certainly felt old, but the architectural style seemed a bit haphazard.
"Has it been expanded over thousands of years?"
"That's right. The Jer-on family's motto is 'change,' after all."
"Hmm."
"You don't really know our family's history, do you?"
"No."
"So confident about it, are you?"
A world-renowned family's history is usually just as famous.
Among them, the Jer-on family wasn't just the one that held the chairman position at Lumerne Academy.
They were a family of mages who had literally left their mark on the history of magic.
Not knowing the history of such a family should have been offensive, but Elena showed no sign of it.
"Our family designed and spread the foundational theory of 'Hero Magic.' We must always embrace change."
[Hero Magic.]
Mage heroes each have their own 'unique' magic, which could be called their symbol.
In Luna's case, it's Star Magic, and in Leo's, it's the Bible.
Most original unique magics were passed down through bloodline or knowledge, or not passed down at all.
Another method was through rewards from conquering the World of Heroes.
The magic that made these inherited magics from the World of Heroes accessible to anyone was Hero Magic, and it was the Jer-on family that presented the origin of that formulaic system.
"I see."
"Yes. Well, I suppose you have no need to learn Hero Magic, Leo."
Elena smiled faintly.
She was right.
Leo's unique magic, the Bible.
A unique magic system that allowed Leo to use any magic without penalty.
In other words, a magic formula that let him use them in their original state.
"The Bible isn't omnipotent, though."
"I suppose not. Magic has a capacity, after all."
A mage is a vessel for magic.
Even with the Bible, one cannot use magic that exceeds their vessel's capacity.
"Using magic like Chloe's Ice World, Abad's Tempest, or Chelsea's Scorching Wind from your year would be impossible."
Elena stopped in front of a room.
"Still, I think they're similar. The magic our family has ultimately pursued and your magic, that is."
"The one you've ultimately pursued?"
"You can sleep here for tonight, Leo."
As she opened the door, a spacious and luxurious room came into view.
"Rest until dinner."
Elena left the room with a gentle smile.
After Elena left, Leo entered the room and sat on the sofa.
He then noticed a portrait hanging on one of the walls and spoke.
"It seems the magic the Jer-on family pursued is the same as the one you pursued."
The subject of the portrait, Lumerne, wore a resolute expression.
Looking at Lumerne, Leo recalled his conversation with Lian.
***
"Transcend your limits. That was the educational philosophy the Knight of Twilight, Lumerne, established when he founded the academy."
Lian took a jewel-encrusted statue of Lumerne from his pocket and placed it on the desk.
"It was also a message he was passing down to future generations."
Lian said, gently rolling the head of the Lumerne statue with his finger.
"A message telling them to never become like him."
"That's strange."
Leo muttered, his expression one of confusion.
"I haven't met Azonia or Demian. But Rhodia and Seirun were the types to constantly challenge their own limits."
It's true the Heroes of Genesis failed to subjugate the fragment of Erebos.
But despite feeling endless despair, they chose to believe in the future and willingly sacrificed themselves.
That alone showed that the Heroes of Genesis were not people who would ever give up.
Just as they themselves had been, five thousand years ago.
Trapping themselves in an endlessly repeating cycle of time?
‘They did something even we wouldn’t have dared to attempt.’
Leo couldn't accept the fact that one of those Heroes of Genesis had despaired of himself.
"Do the lessons left by the others carry the same meaning?"
Lian shook his head at Leo's question.
"The educational philosophies left by the other Heroes of Genesis were all ideals they themselves pursued."
Lian took out dolls of the Heroes of Genesis and the Great Heroes from his pocket one by one.
"Seirun admired Luna's unwavering faith in herself. So he wanted the children who would carry on his will to have strong faith in themselves."
The Seirun doll was placed behind Luna's.
"Azonia was truly envious of Ar-on's courage to press forward without retreating, even when terrified. So she wanted to learn that same courage."
The Azonia doll was placed behind Ar-on's.
"Demian admired Dweno's insight in finding possibilities even in desperate situations. So he wanted to become like that himself."
Dweno was someone who, much like Leo, believed the world was hopeless.
But what set him apart from Kyle was his belief in possibility.
The possibility within Luna... Ar-on... Lisinas... and even Kyle, who had denied it himself.
The way Dweno saw things was fundamentally different from Lisinas, who held the foolish belief that there was still hope, and from Luna, who had unwavering faith in herself.
And from Ar-on, who possessed the courage to overcome fear and move forward.
Placing Demian behind Dweno, Lian took out Lisinas and Rhodia.
"Rhodia left no words, but she was moved by the sight of Lisinas shouldering the world."
Lian smiled gently.
"They each sincerely wished to become like the Great Hero they admired. They called themselves their successors and were genuinely delighted by the fact that they could follow in their footsteps, even just a little."
"Was Lumerne different?"
"Lumerne respected you, Leo, no less than the other four. Your never-give-up attitude was Lumerne's ideal."
Lian flicked the Lumerne doll standing behind the Kyle doll with his finger.
"Following in your footsteps, Lumerne succeeded in defeating Erebos. And he defeated the reviving Erebos time and time again."
Even then, Lumerne did not give up.
Just as Kyle, the one he admired, had done.
"But at some point, Lumerne realized."
"What?"
"That while his comrades were becoming like the other Great Heroes, he wasn't like that at all."
By conquering the World of the Great Heroes, the Heroes of Genesis inherited the powers of their predecessors.
But Lumerne could not.
"He conquered your world several times, but Lumerne was never able to obtain the reward."
"Why couldn't he obtain anything?"
"Because your power is not one that can be inherited as a conquest reward."
"True."
A power that holds infinite potential.
The pure mana, praised as special even by the gods, was likely a power that could not be inherited by another.
"But just because he couldn't inherit my power doesn't mean he couldn't do his part, right?"
"Correct. Lumerne was by no means weaker than the other Heroes of Genesis. He simply came to a realization."
"What?"
"That he could not fulfill the role of the Hero of the Beginning."
"..."
Rhodia, Seirun, Azonia, and Demian could take the place of Lisinas, Luna, Ar-on, and Dweno.
But Lumerne could not.
"Lumerne believed he had to obtain the power to subjugate Erebos himself. That was when he became obsessed with your swordsmanship and magic."
Leo remembered the Lumerne doll that Lian had made before.
A swordsmanship completely identical to his own.
"Lumerne tried to become like you, even knowing it was impossible."
Lian flicked the jeweled Lumerne doll.
The doll fell over and shattered with a *clang!*
"Wanting to be something and trying to *become* it are different. By clinging to what he could not be, Lumerne lost his potential."
Lian let out a deep sigh.
"In the end, he hit his limit and collapsed. He finally gave up on becoming like you. That's when he came to find me, at the center of the world."
Afterward, Lumerne received wisdom from Lian on how to stop Erebos, and together with the Heroes of Genesis, he trapped Erebos within the World of Heroes.
"If the Great Heroes the other Heroes of Genesis admired were their hope... then to Lumerne, you, Leo, were his despair."